Monday, April 10, 2006

The Daily LinksHome Opener Editionby Intern Thomas

The Twins continue their brutal early schedule with the home opener against the A’s, a popular preseason pick to win it all (Take it from a fan of 2005’s trendy pick—be afraid Oakland fans, be afraid). Brad Radke opens up against Danny Haren, the key pickup for the Athletics’ in the Mark Mulder trade. So what does Haren think about the A’s this year (and how does he get his Lost fix on the road)? Well, the best place is probably Haren’s Heat written by the shaggy righthander himself.

Have you ever seen a catcher throw left handed? Think about it for a second. I’ll bet you haven’t. The reason--there hasn’t been a southpaw behind the plate since Benny Distefano put on the gear for three games in 1989 for the Pirates. John Walsh has an in depth look at why Distefano is the most experienced southpaw backstop since the early 1900s at the Hardball Times.

If you missed it on SportsCenter, it appears that Darren Daulton has decided to make a run at Tom Cruise for the title of “Craziest Guy in America”. I’ll let the article speak for itself, but it looks like Daulton is just the latest member of the 1993 Phillies to fall from grace, following in the footsteps of Lenny Dykstra (admitting to steroid use) and John Kruk (analyzing baseball).

Finally, if the Twins continue to hit like, well, like a team that likes to start three sub .300 OBP players, and Radke is having his normal 1st inning troubles, take a deep breath, grab a Budweiser and then take a virtual tour of the new Busch Stadium. And, if you’re as impressed as I was, you can get your plane tickets here and your tickets to see the new park here.